For those of you who are preparing yourselves to place your child for adoption, I am curious if any of have been creating momentos to send with your child, little bits of you, your history, pictures, recordings through which your child can have a sense of your love and your connection?
My mother was an antique lover, which I did not really appreciate when I was young and do, now, as an adult. She recognized the utility of antiques, the lasting value. One day she brought home a very unusual quilt. She called it a “Crazy Quilt”. It was made of many different kinds of materials with no particular design, which she explained came from articles of clothing. In the pioneer days, clothes were worn and passed down until they could no longer be used or repaired. Then the items were cut into patches of different sizes and sewn together to make much needed quilts. This made sense. Nothing was wasted.
But, beyond the practical value, each little patch carried with it memories of a person, special event, an everyday activity that was part of the life the family shared. I can just imagine children cuddled under the quilt telling the stories of when sister wore that dress to church the day that their cousin was married, or the shirt their brother wore at the circus and what fun they had watching the clowns. Every scrap sewn into that quilt carried memories, much like photos are today.
If you could create something that your child could hold on to for the rest of his or her life, what kind of memories would you want to share? If you sew, there could be a crazy quilt or stuffed animal toy made of things you wore to send with your baby. Or a little comforter that you knit yourself. A memory book with your writing and pictures of you as a child at the circus or in your Easter dress or opening presents next to your Christmas tree. You could write about your favorite color, favorite food, favorite music. You could send a stuffed animal that you held dear as a child. There are endless ways to capture a memory and share.
What would you want your child to know and relish as part of his heritage, part of you?
Please share your thoughts. If you have already made or sent something for your child, perhaps you can describe it and the thought and emotion that making it involved, so that others could get ideas for how to do this for their child.
